5 Smartphone Apps for Heart Health

Bestowed the title of American Heart Month, February is officially dedicated to matters of the heart. From love to health, our heart is one of the most vital aspects of our well-being.

Unfortunately, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. and accounts for 600,000 deaths per year. That number makes our hearts break.

It also presents a blatant message. Now is the time to center our attention on boosting cardiovascular health. From diet to fitness to sleep, there are numerous ways to do so, and numerous apps to help, too. Check out the roundup below, and show your heart, and yourself, a little love – this month and beyond.

5 Smartphone Apps for Heart Health

 The Healthy Heart app: Keep track of your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose levels, pulse and several other stats, all in one spot. Save your data and use it as motivation, and share it with doctors to help pinpoint the areas that could be causing issues to your health.

Fitbit® Flex Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband: Too little or too much sleep can have adverse affects on your blood pressure and ticker. Exercise, too, plays a huge role in maintaining a healthy heart. The Fitbit® lets you track both so you can view your patterns, and create goals to work on target areas. Track your distance, calories burned, and your sleep patterns all with a wristband that goes where you go – whether that means out for a run, or facedown on your pillow. 

Fooducate: Diet is directly linked to the health of your heart. Apps like Fooducate can help you recognize healthy choices from unhealthy options and track the quality of what you’re putting in your body. Fooducate lets you scan barcodes of items you purchase so you can see what’s really in your food. Find calorie info, nutrition facts and ingredients, along with grade-like ratings of each item. Also learn about a products pros and cons, along with healthier alternatives on the market. 

 Instant Heart Rate app: Instantly get a heart rate reading just by placing the tip of your finger on your iPhone’s camera. A few seconds later, your pulse will be shown with a real time chart of your heart rate. This is great for those who want to easily monitor their heart during or after fitness activity.  

 Pocket First Aid and CPR: Be prepared for emergency situations with this app from the American Heart Association. The app uses high-res illustrations and videos to provide first aid and CPR instructions. This is the same app that helped Dan Woolley survive 65 hours under rubble after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.